Posts tagged ‘DBMS’

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Many of our clients maintain their own client or prospect lists. It is not a stretch of the imagination to say that these databases are the lifeblood of these businesses and that proper maintenance of these databases is an important step in maintaining a revenue stream for these companies.

In order to keep these databases accurate, there are three important steps that need to be followed. The first two steps are FNBR’s responsibility, but the last and perhaps the most important step must be done by the list owner.

When FNBR receives your data, we use both CASS and NCOA software to ensure the accuracy of your data. CASS stands for Coding Accuracy Support System. The CASS software is used to improve the accuracy of the addresses in your database. Running your data through CASS processing helps in the following areas:

Correcting the spelling of street and city names.

Correct/Add suffixes such as Drive, Way etc.

Correct/Add a zip code & zip plus 4

Add missing unit numbers for businesses

The next process is called NCOA or National Change of Address. In this process your database is run against an updated post office file of address changes that have occurred during the past 48 months. When there is a match between your database and the NCOA file, the software will update to the new address that it is on file. There are cases when the post office knows that a person/family or business has moved, but they have not filed a change of address with the post office. In these cases, the address cannot be updated but is noted.

The last step in this process that needs to be done is for our clients to use the NCOA address corrections to update their databases. The reason that this is critical is that 48 months after an address correction has been filed with the post office, it is deleted from the NCOA database. During this 48 month period, FNBR has been correcting the addresses every time we do a mailing for you. The problem is that if you don’t correct the address on your database, after 48 months the NCOA software will no longer indicate that an address is incorrect. This means that your client that moved four years ago is no longer going to receive your mail and worse yet you won’t even know that. This is a lose/lose situation for you. You are paying for printing and postage that will never get to the intended recipient and you are not getting any new orders from what is now a former client because they don’t receive your mail.

To learn about all the database services we provide, please visit our Database Services page at fnbr.com/Database-Services.html. FNBR will be happy to supply you with the corrected mailing addresses each time we NCOA a file for you. Just let your sales representative know by calling 888-988-8148 or email info@fnbr.com.

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Since a lot of direct mail includes your house mailing lists, we thought we would discuss the “data toolbox”. Most of your contacts are developed over the years from prospecting, prior customers, donors, etc. And once the contact is added to your database, it’s rarely updated. That’s where we come in.

The most valuable tool in the data cleaning toolbox is NCOA. Short for National Change of Address, if your contact has moved and completed a change-of-address with the USPS in the last 4 years, we’ll mail to their new address.

If you are mailing at first class rates, the post office will forward your mail to the updated address on file for 12-months. This is time consuming since the mail must be re-routed, and if you have a time sensitive offer, your postage may end up being wasted. If you are using Standard Mail, the mail piece will not be forwarded at all.

NCOA is a quick, efficient and inexpensive way of keeping mailing lists up to date. If you are purchasing a list through FNBR, you can be assured that the mailing list has already been NCOA’d and we will provide you with the date that the NCOA certificate* is good through. If you are supplying your own mailing list for FNBR to use, we can NCOA update the list for you.

NCOA is one of the many software tools that FNBR uses to keep your mailing costs streamlined and your mail delivered as quickly as possible.

ECOA (Extended Change-of-Address) – Updates addresses using sources other than the USPS NCOALink file, including magazine subscriptions, catalogs, insurance and credit companies. Identify up to 20% more moves up to 5 years old.

Apartment Number – Appends residential unit numbers based on the submitted name and address. Complements SuiteLink processing, which appends unit numbers for business addresses, to further reduce undeliverable and misdirected mail.

Suppression Suite – Flags records that match entries in do-not-mail, deceased person and correctional facility lists. Improve mailing ROI by removing people that are unwilling or unable to respond.

For more information on applying these data tools to your database, or other postage saving techniques, please email us at info@fnbr.com or call toll free 888-988-8148.

*NCOA Certified mailing lists qualify for Automation postage discounts for 95 days from the date of certification.

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Direct mail is a very effective and cost efficient way of advertising your company. While the printing and presentation of the mailer is important, proper planning helps ensures a high response, so start planning early.

The most successful mail campaigns are the ones that are well thought out and well planned.

Data
Your direct mail campaign should start with a clean and highly targeted database. Make use of list demographics to profile your ideal clients, and be sure to NCOA update the file right before the mailing is sent out. Sending mail to the wrong address is money wasted.

Goals
Define your goals and design your mail piece around them. Do you want your mail piece to: generate immediate sales, increase awareness of your company, generate sales leads, or build customer loyalty? To generate sales, a postcard with a discount coupon can work, but to increase awareness of your company consider using a company brochure and other supporting literature.

Audience
Lastly, consider if direct mail is reaching your entire targeted audience. Email may be better suited for a portion of your database. Consider the combination of both direct mail and email to reach your audience.

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Call FNBR Inc. at 888-988-8148 or send us an email at info@fnbr.com